


The River Divided The Dragon and The Steed

by odinstark



Series: Fate Bound, Souls Melded, Hearts One [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Asexual Character, Bisexual Female Character, Canon Era, Coming Out, Developing Relationship, F/M, Forehead Kisses, Internalized Acephobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Male Insecurity, Oblivious, Pansexual Character, Polyamory Negotiations, Sharing a Bed, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, biromantic character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-28 13:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20967149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/odinstark/pseuds/odinstark
Summary: At this Point you're probably sick of my rarepairs but I Don't Care, I miss them.arwencelot is Godtier.





	The River Divided The Dragon and The Steed

Gwen decided early on, that men were completely useless. Well, at least the stupidly noble ones. 

She knew was she was desperately in love with Arthur, who wouldn't be, given the chance? He'd grown so much in character, an honest and good man emerging from the brattish teen prince he'd been when she would observe him and Morgana at their lessons.

But the part of her heart, the half of her heart, that was equally as promised to Lancelot, she knew she didn't give it easily. He'd earned his place there, not through growth like Arthur, but through his own genuine goodness and generousity. His noble essence. 

They both had it, despite their extreme difference, they both boiled down to the same stuff, they were cut of the same cloth, birds of a feather. Noble of heart, strong of mind, kind of soul.

But they were also dumb, stupid men.

Neither believed themselves worthy of Gwen's affections so they shuttled her to one another like she was some toy. She knew it wasn't their intention, they held respect for above all else, it wasn't a game to them.

And it probably didn't help they had hidden, growing feelings for each other, stuffed behind hidden smiles, stolen glances, too long lingering hands on a shoulder.

Gwen didn't mind. 

If she was in love with both of them, then they could love her as much as they loved each other.

Lancelot didn't take much persuasion to admit it to her, not that she asked. 

He started and stopped, pretending that it did not matter. But with a long look into her dark eyes, the floodgates broke. His trust in her was higher than with anything else he possessed. Plus Gwen was still a servant by heart, keeping secrets was a learned skill, and one she had mastered.

He talked for hours about his feelings, to her, to Arthur, to the both of them. He was proud of who he was, underneath the shyness to tell. His heart was ready to love two. 

Arthur was a different story. 

She listened against the hard oak door, from the antechamber connected to Arthur's bedroom, from where she heard the argument.

"You believe it wrong?" cut Merlin's voice, steel in the air.

"No, I believe it not right....for me," Arthur's voice sound defeated, like he was just regurgitating words that had been beaten into him.

"That is the most stupid thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth, Arthur. And you've said some stupid things."

There was no reply. Gwen could feel the tension from the otherside of the brick wall. 

"There's nothing wrong with following your heart."

"When it splits in two...when one path is..."

She could count the beats.

"When one path is what, Arthur?"

"When one path...is forbidden," there is a great pause, 

"And the other deals in promises I cannot keep." 

"What promises?" 

Gwen could imagine Arthur, slumped in his chair, weak against Merlin's argument. 

"I'll ask this, instead. Who has forbidden it?" 

"A life time...of believing I am wrong. It still...lingers. You may think me...broken...if I tell you of my reality." 

"Oh, Arthur," Merlin's voice rang out, but this time it wasn't dismissive, it was reassuring. The flap of fabric against fabric proved the fight was over. Gwen retired to her house for the night. 

Gwen, as clever as she was, didn't notice Arthur and Lancelot grow closer under her nose, they acted as normal as they usually did. 

Until she saw the crux of their relationship come to fruition. She daudled in the background of the armoury, polishing her brother's swords to keep her hands busy. She noticed them come in, but they did not her, so she kept silent and began to leave, she was sure they came in her in the early morning to have a private word.

And they did. As she crept around the weapons racks for the exit, hush and mutters reached her ears. It stopped when she got to the door, but not because she had been spotted. But because Lancelot's lips were busy being planted against Arthur's soft forehead. 

She smiled. 

It didn't take long after that. 

A few well planned run-ins, a couple of choice words and instead of leaving the King's quarters after a small dinner with the three of them, she boldly crossed the room and sat on the edge of it, beckoning them to her side. Lancelot joined briskly. Arthur...lingered.

Arthur stuttered through a small explanation as Gwen smiled at him from the mattress but she told him reassuringly that she understood and loved him just as much as before he told her. With a beaming smile, he wrapped his arms around her waist, tangling his fingers in Lancelot's shirt on the other side. 

She noticed the dragon soaring across her right forearm in the morning light. A strong yet elegant steed cantered on her left. They were large enough to fill the canvas of her skin but they were beautiful. 

Arthur and Lancelot's torsos were bare in underneath the covers, but the sun's early glow showed her the winding river that was present on their skin. Arthur's snaked up and along his back, from the base of his spine to the top of his neck. Lancelot's gracefully flowed across his chest and ribs to his hip, the water so detailed, Gwen almost believed it was gushing under her gentle fingers. 

She breathed in and out. And then smiled like she always did when things worked out.


End file.
